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Norden's Lost View of London Bridge in the 16th Century
Rare early 20th Century photo-engraved image of John Norden's rare early plan of London Bridge, "photo-engraved by the courtesy of Sir Sidney Lee", published bythe London Topographical Society in 1919.
John Norden's View presents a bustling snapshot of the medieval London Bridge, the arterial conduit into the heart of the city. Originally engraved in about 1597, this intricate depiction reveals a bridge teeming with life and commerce, lined with buildings and alive with the ebb and flow of city dwellers.
The bridge was a lively, inhabited stretch, with buildings crowding the span. At the bridge's south end, the gate loomed with the morbid display of executed criminals' heads—a macabre sign of London's unyielding justice. Such displays underscored the rule of law that governed the teeming metropolis, marking the boundary of jurisdiction in stark, unflinching terms.
Constructed from the 12th to the early 13th century, the bridge was an architectural marvel of its time, an extension of the city itself with a bustling street upon it. The buildings along its stretch housed a microcosm of urban life, from tradesmen to the affluent, highlighting the stratification and diversity of London's population.
Rarity
This view, prepared by the London Topographical Society in 1919, is very rare on the market.
This is the first example we have seen.
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